The Danger Is in the Ordinary: What 3,000 Crew Claims Reveal About Everyday Risk

Most Seafarer Injuries Don't Happen in a Storm, a Fire, or an Emergency

They happen at 09:00, doing a task the crew member has done a hundred times before. Gard's Crew Claims Report 2026 reviewed roughly 3,000 P&I crew claims from 2025, with a deeper look at around 400 injury cases. The pattern that emerged wasn't about inexperience or recklessness — it was about the ordinary.

What the Numbers Show

Scheduled maintenance on deck and in the engine room accounted for the single largest share of injuries — 17.3% of cases — with the main deck and engine room contributing almost equally overall. Slips, trips and falls remained the leading injury mechanism, at 29% of reported cases. And the riskiest time of day wasn't the middle of a night watch — it was 08:00–10:00, simply because that's when the most work happens.

Two Findings That Should Change How Safety Gets Briefed

First, the highest injury risk window is a crew member's first three months aboard, and especially the first month — the period when everything is still being learned. Second, and more uncomfortably: experienced crew are injured during routine tasks just as often as less experienced ones. Familiarity doesn't protect you from a wet deck.

Gard's Chief Claims Officer, Christen Guddal, put it plainly: “Accidents causing injuries do not only happen to inexperienced crew or during unusual situations.” EVP Line Dahle called for “a more human-centred approach to safety” — one that treats fatigue, workload and isolation as real contributing factors, not excuses.

What This Means for Your Watch

• Treat routine maintenance with the same planning rigour as high-risk jobs — don't let familiarity lower your guard
• Pay closer attention during the first month of any new joiner's contract, and during peak morning activity hours
• Build a culture where reporting a wet deck or a greasy patch costs a few minutes, not a reputation
• Remember that deck and engine room carry roughly equal injury risk — target safety attention accordingly

The next injury on your vessel is statistically more likely to happen during a routine 09:00 maintenance task than during a drill, a storm, or an emergency. Plan accordingly.

Related Reading

• Enclosed Space Entry — another routine task that becomes dangerous through familiarity
• Gangway and Access Safety — the most frequently performed high-risk operation on any vessel
• Safe Harbour — how to report an unsafe condition without it costing you
• Seafarer Fatigue Management — the human factor behind Gard's findings